KallCo director, WASA manager on corruption charges

A DIRECTOR of KallCo and a senior manager at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) appeared before a Port of Spain magistrate yesterday, on corruption charges.

KallCo director Michael Arjune, of Boissiere, Maraval, and Wendell Diaz, head of procurement and logistics at WASA, appeared before First Court magistrate Kerri Honore-Narine, each on a single charge.

Arjune was charged with corruptly giving $30,000 cash to Diaz as a reward to influence the award of contracts to KallCo. The alleged offence was said to have taken place on December 13, 2013 at Farm Road, St Joseph.

Diaz was charged with corruptly accepting for himself $30,000 cash from Arjune as a reward to influence the award of contracts to KallCo. The alleged offence was said to have taken place on December 14, 2013, at Sam Boucaud Gardens Extension, Santa Cruz.

The two were charged by WPC Patrice Loney-Phillip of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Bureau (ACIB), and were represented by attorneys Jagdeo Singh, Ulric Skerritt and Criston J Williams.

They were each granted $250,000 bail.

The prosecution was represented by acting Insp Rajesh Lal, who had objected to bail.

The two men, who were arrested on Thursday by the ACIB, were ordered to return to court on August 10.